June 8-11 marked the 8th Annual Dance USA Conference, and this year it was held in Austin, TX. As in prior years, people came from all over to converse, network, enrich their knowledge base, and discuss the current state of our field. Nearly 500 dance professionals joined together, taking some time to both create new bonds and strengthen existing ones. This conference provides a much-needed “time-out” where space is set aside to concentrate on the big picture instead of the day-to-day tasks that consume so much of our time.

Dance USA Executive Amy Fitterer addresses attendees

Representatives from the dance community gathered for a wide range of sessions. First timers and long-standing attendees mingled and shared perspectives on the topics presented. Conferences have a way of transcending barriers, and this one was no exception. As a matter-of-fact, Executive Director Amy Fitterer made an announcement that came as a (pleasant) surprise to many about the National Company Roster (NCR) – summarized nicely on the Dance USA website: [Read more…]

Whether you are attending your first dance conference ever–or your twentieth, there are certain things you can do to help maximize the time you spend there. We have assembled a list of ten that we think are pretty important, but we’re also pretty sure that readers will have more to add…

Feel free to leave a comment for us on anything you have found to be useful. We’d love to hear from you! In the meantime, take a look at these as you begin to map out your schedule for the coming year…

Create your own plan

No matter what the dance conference is you are attending, there is a reason why you are going to that particular one. Keep your goals in mind when you are planning what sessions you are going to attend. And don’t feel like you have to do it all!

Take a good look at the sessions that are offered on the web and map out a plan for what you’d like to see/experience. Customize your schedule so that you can get the most out of the time you spend there. Having a plan is half the battle.

Try to stay flexible. Keep in mind that once you get to the conference you may need to alter your schedule depending on what comes up.

Utilize the business card

Business cards aren’t used that often anymore, but conferences are the perfect place for them. Bring a big stack of cards with you and pass them out whenever you can. Make sure your social media information is on them (if applicable) as well as your contact info.

As you get cards from other people, jot down any information you can that will help you remember who that person is and why you might want to follow up with them. It will be really hard to remember these things later—especially after meeting lots of people and getting lots of cards.

Some say, “If you’ve been to one conference, you’ve been to them all,” but having attended four conferences this year I’m not so sure I agree. 2014 was “the year of the conference” for me, mostly because I’ve been excited to share some of my survey research on dance injuries and cross-training. Plus, as a first year PhD student (you knew that, right?), it seemed like a great way to insert myself into the academic community. My work was presented three times: in Bowling Green, Ohio last February at the Midwest Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium (MSEPS), in October at the Annual Meeting for the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) held in Basel, Switzerland, and again last month at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)’s annual conference in Chicago. I also attended Dance/USA’s conference in June, sans my science-y hat. I presented twice with my research assistant Molly, and each was slightly different in length, but on the whole each presentation was roughly the same.

Why give the same information at three conferences? Three reasons: practice, pointers, and pageantry.

Let me explain.

When you’re involved in research, it’s really easy to get lost in your work. It’s big. It’s overwhelming. Sometimes, you forget the point. Continually putting myself into situations that force me to articulate and defend my work is a really important part of the process. Otherwise, I might get in front of my committee, years from now, when it really counts, and totally bomb it. So, in my view, the more times I can talk about what I’m doing, the better (practice).

Practicing in front of audiences full of draconian observers from all different fields is better still. In the three conferences at which I presented, I yielded opinions and observations from exercise psychologists, physical therapists, athletic trainers, body conditioning specialists, medical doctors, and dance educators. I can say quite confidently that the dance educators were the toughest crowd. It is vital to the success and longevity of researcher that we communicate with individuals working in the field – those putting our ideas into practice. I consider the feedback I received from guests at my NDEO presentation to be critical information that can inform the future directions of my research (pointers).

Finally, conferences are awesome. Though often overwhelming and exhausting, there’s quite a pomp and circumstance surrounding the coming together of like-minded individuals. I mean, I went to Switzerland (Switzerland!) for a 10-minute presentation. Plus, the schmoozing, the fancy parties and catering (pageantry)….

Though the format, the networking, the light appetizers and harsh scrutiny are par for the course at any conference, I found each conference I attended this year to be a unique experience. The exercise psychologists we spoke to in February had no idea about dancers, and helped me draw connections between dance companies and athletic teams. IADMS opened me eyes to a rich pool of dance researchers that I hardly knew existed. As the sole dance researcher at a university with no dance program, I often feel like I’m on an island. IADMS assured me that there are many dedicated individuals in the world who have similar passions and goals. NDEO allowed me to interact with the educators who may actually benefit from this research. And without application, research is pretty much pointless.

One thing is clear: dancers, researchers and educators are passionately committed to dance. We have different skills, experiences, and approaches, but ultimately we all want the same things: inspired performances, health and wellbeing among dancers, longevity of the dancer’s career, and intelligent training practices. By working my way through the conference circuit this year I have never been more certain of that.

Contributor Lauren Warnecke is a Chicago-based dance writer/researcher and educator. She holds degrees in Dance (BA, ’03) and Kinesiology (MS, ’09), and is currently a full-time faculty member and doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Lauren researches trends in dance injuries, cross-training, and performance, and created the dance blog Art Intercepts in 2009. She is a dance critic for SeeChicagoDance, columnist at Windy City Times, a Huffington Post blogger, and a contributor to the websites Dance Advantage and 4dancers. Lauren has freelanced as a production/stage manager, curator, choreographer, and grant writer, doing nearly every job in the dance world at some point. She is a Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM) and Functional Training Specialist (ACE), enjoys coffee and vintage apparel, and believes in the Oxford comma. Follow Lauren on Twitter @artintercepts.

Overview

The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) held its yearly conference in Chicago earlier this month (November 5-9) and 4dancers attended for the first time. We wanted to learn more about the offerings this organization extends to the community of dance educators, connect with other dance writers and bloggers from across the country, and share our conference experience with readers here on the site.

The theme for 2014 was “Collaborations–A Mosaic of Possibilities” and the first thing you noticed when browsing all of the sessions available is that there were a staggering variety of them to choose from. Here is just a brief sampling of some of the titles:

Both a hard copy of the schedule and an app were available to help conference attendees navigate their choices. We used both to fine-tune what we were going to see/experience. The sessions that we attended were well thought out and informative, and Q&A time brought some great perspectives to light as well.

In addition to our “learning time” we also browsed the tables that were set up for sponsors, exhibitors and advertisers and talked with people in the halls about their conference experience along the way. The overwhelming majority were excited and energized–thankful for this “time-out” to talk with other educators and people in their field. Many remarked on how busy they are and how this type of event allows them some much-needed time to re-fuel and remember why they went down this path in the first place.

We met up with other writers and bloggers and had some time to talk about everything from what they were getting out of the conference to how we were all connected on the web, and how exciting the possibilities are for extending education in various forms online through blogs and other platforms. We bonded. Big time.

Sometimes there is just no substitute for face-to-face communication. As a dance writer on the web, all too often I am alone. I have this in common with many dance educators in classrooms everywhere. It’s easy to lose perspective. It’s hard to stay connected to others who can help inspire you, guide you–and sometimes–just walk beside you along the way.

But don’t just take my word for it. Below you’ll find some thoughts from two other “first timers” at the NDEO Conference this year. And you can read more thoughts from dance educators about their experience over on Dance Advantage as well.

Lucy Vurusic-Riner

Lucy Vurusic Riner, photo by Shelby Kroeger

I was a “first timer” at the 2014 NDEO Conference in Chicago this past weekend.

I was happy to be involved in the Conference in a number of ways. Thursday morning, my New Trier MENZ dance students performed a work I choreographed for them at a two-hour session led by my colleague Christopher Rutt. I started Friday morning by presenting at my own paper session with my artistic partner, Michael Estanich. Our session, Long Distance Collaboration: Thriving Artistically Across State Lines was well attended and well received. Michael and I look forward to returning to future NDEO Conferences to present on other topics that are pertinent to our classrooms and our artistic work.

I had the opportunity to take a great movement class with good friend Rebecca Bryant. Her session on using the Number Score to assist in Embodied Collaboration was creative and got a lot of laughs. Other notable sessions I attended were Elizabeth Lentz’s paper, Beyond Dancer and Actor and the awesome trio of artists known as AGA Collaborative whose panel on The Collaborative Voice was the perfect way to end the Conference.

The main reason I’ll be back though is for the invaluable amount of networking that took place for me. I had lunch with dance bloggers from across the country and saw some face-to-face for the first time. I spoke on behalf of RE|Dance Group and got us some future performance opportunities. And most importantly, I connected with a lot of teachers from across the globe who share a collective desire to bring dance to our students’ lives.

Cassandra Dara-Abrams

Cassandra Dara-Abrams

This was the first NDEO Conference I attended and I am already writing my proposal for a movement workshop for the 2015 Conference.

Arriving on the first day of the conference in my “proper” Pendleton blazer and stretchy red velvet leggings, I felt too formally dressed. What? Me–too formally dressed in a blazer and leggings? The following days I came more suitably dressed in my teaching clothes—yoga leggings and layers of shirt and sweater to take off as I warmed up.

Being surrounded by women and men as passionate as I am about dance, the wisdom of the body, and the art and craft of the teaching of both, was an honor. I engaged in dialogue with many professors, teachers, and emerging artists who are creating and honing genuine, authentic, and educationally sound methods of dance education.

One such dialogue was with California State University Professor Rebecca Bryant who led a movement workshop that inspired creative collaboration through a structure that lessens the “preciousness” of being on stage. Her workshop was centered on the Number Score from Ensemble Thinking. I brought the Score to Brave and Barefoot Dance Troupe’s practice session with great success just a day after Professor Bryant’s workshop.

Thanks for an inspiring conference, NDEO!

NDEO Conference 2015

NDEO’s next conference will be in Phoenix, AZ in 2015 and it will run from October 7-11. They will be accepting proposals until February 1, 2015, and the theme will be: “Engaging in the Artistic Processes: Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting“.

4dancers received free admission to the NDEO annual conference for review and promotional services.

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